The Schein-Joseph International Museum of Ceramic Art at Alfred University will host a closing reception for its anniversary exhibition, "Twenty," on Thursday, Sept. 22 from 4:30-6 p.m. The reception will be open to the public free of charge.

"Twenty," a celebration of the Schein-Joseph Museum’s 20th anniversary, is on displays through Friday, Sept. 30, 2011. The museum, located on the top floor of Binns-Merrill Hall, is open Wednesdays-Fridays, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.; the museum is closed some holidays.

"The basic premise for the exhibition was Leslie’s (Bellavance, the dean of the School of Art & Design) choosing pieces from the collection that the museum acquired between 1991 through 2011 - two from each year that we have officially been a museum," says Susan Kowalczyk, museum director. "She looked at more than 2,000 pieces. It was a great opportunity for a new dean to familiarize herself with the museum collection and in the process develop an exhibition from her aesthetic."

The exhibit features a spherical vase by English ceramics scholar Charles Binns, stacking vases by German porcelain and glass artist Eva Zeisel, a glazed stoneware sculpture by Satoru Hoshino, and a nearly 5,000-year-old earthenware storage jar from the Yangshao Neolithic Culture, among other treasures.

"Exploring the collection has been a great pleasure and a unique opportunity that I cherish," says Bellavance. "I understand that my travels through the collection of the Schein-Joseph Museum serve as an analogy for any and all museum visitors whose experience in viewing works of art reflects their own potential for learning, understanding and pleasure in the object."